Sept. 5 Quick Takes: Moulder’s Zenas in regional deal with BMS for bispecific

An Asia-Pacific deal with Bristol Myers Squibb Co. (NYSE:BMY) for rights to bispecific molecule obexelimab will deliver $50 million up front to Zenas BioPharma LLC, a private company launched by former Tesaro Inc. CEO Lonnie Moulder. BMS will gain rights in Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong and Australia to the molecule targeting CD19 and FCGR2B; Zenas, which maintains offices in the U.S. and in China, will continue to hold rights in the rest of the world under its deal with Xencor Inc. (NASDAQ:XNCR). Obexelimab is in a global Phase III study to treat IgG4-related disease; it is also in Phase II/III testing for warm antibody autoimmune hemolytic anemia. BMS will also make an equity investment in Zenas.

Beam Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ:BEAM) has moved its foundational base editing technology into clinical trials with the start of a U.S. Phase I/II study of allogeneic CAR T cell therapy BEAM-201 in T cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). BEAM-201 is a CAR T cell therapy expressing an anti-CD7-targeting CAR and edited to eliminate expression of the CD7, TRAC, PD-1 and CD52 genes — modifications to allow off-the-shelf treatment, avoid T cell exhaustion and prevent the therapeutic cells from killing each other. Beam’s trial is the second involving a base editor to reach the clinic. Verve’s in vivo base editor therapy VERVE-101 began a Phase Ib study in heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia last year. Beam shares gained $0.22 to $23.68 on Tuesday. ...